Odell James is in his 11th season on Baylor's operations staff and his seventh working with Colin Shillinglaw and head coach Art Briles. Previous to that he spent four seasons (2004-07) as assistant director of football operations and assistant strength coach.

He has twice served Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowships, in the summer of 2014 with the Cleveland Browns and in summer 2012 with the Washington Redskins (working with wide receivers in both instances).

James, a Houston native and four-year Baylor football letterman (1997-2000), joined the Baylor staff from Waco's O & K Sports, a company he founded in August 2002. Prior to that, he spent one academic year (2001-02) as a teacher and coach in the Waco Independent School District. James served as the seventh grade basketball coach at Waco's St. Louis Catholic Middle School during the 2000-01 season, guiding the team to a district championship, while also working as a personal fitness assistant at Baylor's McLane Student Life Center.

One of the nation's most highly recruited quarterbacks as a senior at Houston's Aldine MacArthur High School, earning Bluechip and Super Prep All-America honors in his final year, James played three seasons at quarterback for the Bears before moving to free safety his senior year. He received his bachelor's degree in speech communication and sociology from Baylor in August 2001 and a master's degree in Sports Leadership from Duquesne University in December 2010.

James serves as the CEO of O & K Sports, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to providing athletic, educational, personal development and spiritual growth opportunities for young student-athletes. He and his wife, Dr. Kai'Iah James, have five children -- Alexis, Gabrielle, Solomon, David and Jett.